Portrait and biographical record of the state of Colorado, containing portraits and biographies of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 153

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1530

USA > Colorado > Portrait and biographical record of the state of Colorado, containing portraits and biographies of many well known citizens of the past and present > Part 153

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When a boy of eleven years our subject accom- panied his parents to Illinois. He was educated in the grammar and high schools of Robinson, Crawford County, and at an early age began to cultivate a farm. In April, 1861, he enlisted in Company A, Sixty-third Illinois Infantry, and was mustered in at Springfield, Ill., where he was transferred to Company H, of the same regiment. After three months of service he was honorably discharged. Later he planned to en- list a second time, but his relatives prevented it. In 1865 he went to Olney, Ill., and there engaged in contracting and building until 1869, when he removed to Lawrence County, Mo., and erected the first house in Pierce City. He continued as a contractor nntil 1873, when, having been in- jured by reason of heavy lifting, he retired from the business. Returning to Illinois, he opened a store at Flat Rock, where he engaged in business until 1878, and then came west to Colorado. In the spring of 1879 he opened a grocery store in Denver, but two years later sold out and turned his attention to the planing mill business, in which he has since engaged. He is also interested

DAVID F. MILLER.

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in mining in Cripple Creek, and operates a mine on Raven Hill.

Politically Mr. Duff is a Republican and in re- ligion of the Universalist belief. He is a mem- ber of the Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming Lumber Dealers' Association. While in Denver he was united in marriage with Miss Etta Hockett, a native of Kentucky. They are the parents of four children: William, who is a partner of his father; Mrs. Mary Martin, of Colo- rado Springs; C. M., who is a stockholder in the company of which his father is president; and Nora, Mrs. Charles Mayer, of Colorado Springs.

2 AVID F. MILLER, a pioneer of Colorado, in 1873 settled two miles east of Fairplay, Park County, where he took up one hun- dred and sixty acres of land and embarked in haying and cattle-raising. As he prospered he added to his original modest possessions, and to- day is the owner of a ranch comprising more than eighteen hundred acres. He has been an exceedingly industrious man and the prosperity he has attained is justly merited by his honest and faithful labors during the long period of his residence in Colorado.

In the kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, Mr. Miller was born December 26, 1826, one of seven children, of whom he and Elizabeth, Au- gusta and George are the survivors. His parents were Adam and Augusta (Riker) Miller, the former a native of Wurtemberg, and an agricult- urist by occupation, making a specialty of rais- ing grapes and manufacturing wine. He con- tinued to reside upon his farm until he died. Our subject was reared on the home place and re- ceived a fair German education. At eighteen years of age he left home and began to work for himself. His father being a poor man, it was necessary for him to assist in the support of the family, and he became one of their mainstays. In 1854 he came to America, landing in New York on the 7th of September with a single five- franc piece ($1) in his possession. He had an uncle in New York City, with whom he remained for three days. He then met a Connecticut farmer, Calvin Hoyt, of Stamford, who was looking for help and to him he hired, remaining in his em- ploy for two years and receiving $80 per year. From there he went to Cattaraugus County, N. Y., where he worked in a sawmill. In the summer of the following year (1855) he secured work as a farm hand at $15 per month, and after

another winter in the sawmill he leased a tract of land and began farming for himself. This was in 1856. During the same year he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Kessler, a native of Germany.

In 1858 Mr. Miller removed to Iowa and settled in Clinton County, but the next year, upon hear- ing of the discovery of gold in Pike's Peak, he started west, joining a brother in Leavenworth, Kan., and in March, 1860, proceeding, with an ox-team and supplies, for the west. He arrived in Denver June 7. Turning his cattle out on a ranch to recruit from the trip, he and his brother secured employment by the day. August 1 they yoked their oxen and, with necessary supplies, went to Breckenridge, where they began pros- pecting. A short time afterward they bought a claim in Illinois Gulch, giving for it a sack of flour. Knowing nothing about mining, they soon abandoned the claim and repaired to Geor- gia, where the excitement was then at its height. There they prospected and teamed until the snow drove them from the mountains in October. Re- turning to Denver, from there in December they went back to Leavenworth, where they had left their families. On their trip out they traveled via the Platte route, and on their return took the Smoky Hill ronte.

Accompanied by his family, in the spring of 1861 our subject again started for Colorado, this time traveling via the old Santa Fe trail. Ar- riving where Pueblo is now located, he remained there for a short time. He then went to Breck- enridge, where he worked by the day in the mines. When winter set in he went to Denver. In the spring of 1862 he came to Park County and lo- cated at Montgomery, where he built a house and kept boarders; also, with his two yoke of oxen, engaged in hauling ore. One of the company of three men for whom he hauled ore proposed to sell out to him, and he bought the claim, paying $1,000 for it, a part being paid in cash, while the remainder was made up by the oxen. He began to work on his claim, but was without capital to push the work. Winter was beginning and the miners were being forced to leave the mountains. His boarders left and he was without means of sub- sistence. He had no money and was refused credit for a sack of flour. In the spring he went to Mos- quito, where he worked by the day, and after- ward was similarly occupied at Horse Shoe until the works were closed on account of the assassin- ation of President Lincoln. In 1866 he went to

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Buckskin Joe and worked in the mines. The next year he returned to Park County, settling in Fairplay, where he built the first house that had a shingle roof in the town. In it he opened a boarding house. In 1870 he sold that place and moved to Fremont County, where he bought a ranch on Currant Creek and began raising pota- toes. In this venture he met with splendid suc- cess. From there he moved to his present ranch near Fairplay. In his long and busy life he has had his share of reverses, and has not found the path to success a smooth one, but he has pursued his way, undaunted by misfortune, and has fin- ally attained prosperity. His ranch is one of the best and largest in this section, and he is in in- dependent circumstances. While he gives his at- tention closely to private business matters, he takes an interest in fraternal organizations and is a member of Doric Lodge No. 25, A. F. & A. M., and South Park Lodge No. 10, I. O. O. F.

AMES T. ESTILL, M. D., has been en- gaged in the practice of medicine in Colo- rado Springs since the year 1890. In ad- dition to his private practice, which has con- stantly increased, he is a member of the medical staff of St. Francis Hospital and acts as local sur- geo11 for the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, be- sides which he is medical examiner for a number of insurance companies, among them the Etna of Hartford and the Bankers of Iowa. He is one of those self-reliant men who started in life with- out means and, through his unaided labors, se- cured an excellent education, thus laying the foundation for his present success and his high standing in the medical profession.

The Estill family was represented in this coun- try in an early day and its members bore a part in the various colonial wars. The doctor's great- grandfather, who took part in the Revolution, removed to Danville, Ky., where he flourished contemporarily with Daniel Boone. The grand- father, who was born in Kentucky, was a planter by occupation and served in the war of 1812. The father, William Estill, was born in Danville, and after his marriage removed to Missouri, set- tling upon a farm near what is now Lathrop, Clinton County. There he died in 1886, when seventy-one years of age. His first wife was Elizabeth Hubbard, who was born near Danville and died in Missouri at thirty-five years. She was a daughter of a colonel in the war of 1812 and a pioneer farmer in Clinton County. William

and Elizabeth Estill had four sons and three daughters, all of whom are living but one daugh- ter. John S., who was for three years in a Mis- souri regiment during the Civil war, resides in Kansas; Moses makes his home in Missouri; Richard is in Montana. The next to the youngest son, who forms the subject of this sketch, was born at Lathrop, Mo., October 12, 1849. Of the sec- ond marriage of William Estill two sons were born, one of whom, Dr. William G. Estill, is a practicing physician of Lawson, Mo.

When quite young our subject began to teach school, and with the money thus earned he paid his expenses while in medical college. In 1875 he graduated from Westminster College at Ful- ton, Mo., receiving the degree of A. B. Some years later the degree of A. M. was conferred upon him. He retains connection with his alma mater by holding membership in the Alumni As- sociation and the Philologic Society. On con- cluding his literary education he resumed work as a teacher. From boyhood it had been his am- bition to become a physician and all of his studies were directed with that end in view. Hence he was unusually thorough in his work as a student. His preliminary medical studies were conducted under Dr. James, of Lawson, Mo., and afterward . lie took the full course of lectures in the Missouri Medical College of St. Louis, from which he grad- uated in 1879, with the degree of M. D. By his work as assistant in a hospital he gained the prac- tical knowledge of his profession so indispensable to true success. In 1879 he opened an office at Turney, Clinton County, near his old home, and there he continued in practice until the spring of 1890, when he came to Colorado Springs. His residence, built by himself, stands at No. 218 East Willamette avenne, and his office is in the Mid- land block.

Dr. Estill's marriage occurred in Clinton County, Mo., and united him with Miss M. E. Green, who was born there, a daughter of Cyrus Green, of Kentucky. They are the parents of five children: Forest L., a member of the high school class of 1899; Virgie, who will graduate from the high school in 1900; Nellie, Fay and Cyrus. Dr. Estill is an elder in the Presby- terian Church, to the support of which he con- tributes generously. In politics he casts his vote with the Democratic party. He is a member of the Alumni Association of the Missouri Medical College at St. Louis, the El Paso County Medical Society and the National Association of Railway

STEPHEN J. TANNER.

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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Surgeons. While in Turney, Mo., he was made a Mason and held the office of master in the blue lodge; his membership is now with El Paso Lodge No. 13, A. F. & A. M. He is also connected with the Knights of Pythias.

TEPHEN J. TANNER. To say of Mr. Tan- ner that he has risen from comparative ob- scurity to rank among the leading and in- fluential citizens of Florence and Fremont County is to state a fact well known to his acquaintances, as is also the added fact that he has gained suc- cess solely through the exercise of good judg- ment, indefatigable energy and business ability. When he came to Colorado he had limited means, but an unlimited fund of energy and persever- ance, and through these he worked his way to success. The residence which he owns and occu- pies and which he built in 1896 contains twelve large, light and cheerful rooms, conveniently ar- ranged and containing all modern improvements; it is a two and one-half story brick structure and stands in the eastern part of the city.

The Tanner family was founded in America in the colonial days, and some of its representatives served in the war of 1812. Richard Tanner, father of our subject, was a native of Kentucky. Throughout life he followed the occupation of a farmer and the tanner's trade. When a young man he bought some land in Kentucky, which he improved and cultivated. In 1856 he removed to Texas and settled in Paris, where he engaged in tanning and the real-estate business. From there, in 1870, he came to Colorado and located in Fremont County, where he died December 9, '1873. He was a prominent Mason and passed all the degrees in the order. In politics he was a Democrat and in religion was connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church South.

The marriage of Richard Tanner united him with Minerva Jennings, of Kentucky. They be- came the parents of nine children, of whom Stephen, the eldest, is the sole survivor. One of the sons, Erastus H., who was educated for the law, enlisted in the Ninth Texas Infantry at the opening of the Civil war and served east of the Mississippi under Generals Bragg and Johnson, taking part in all the important engagements of his command. He also spent about eighteen months in war with the Indians. While he did not receive a wound in battle, he died within four weeks after his return from the army. Another son, Virgil R., was a physician of prominence,

and while his career was short, it was brilliant and promising. He died in Florence January 29, 1882, after having engaged in practice for three years, and left an enviable reputation as a physician of ability and worth.

In McLean County, Ky., the subject of this sketch was born, January 28, 1837. His early education was obtained in the subscription schools of Kentucky and Texas, after which he spent one year in the McKinzie Institute in Texas. Beginning to work in his father's tanyard, he was afterward engaged in various business enter- prises as a partner of his father, with whom he continued until the latter's death. When his father came to Colorado our subject remained eighteen months in Texas, to close up the busi- ness there. He then came to Florence, which, however, had not yet been started. Nature was in its primeval condition. No railroads had been built or improvements made. Father and son bought a tract of four hundred acres and began to improve the land, upon which they engaged in general farming.

After the death of his father, Mr. Tanner de- voted his attention more particularly to raising hogs and fattening cattle. He continued stock- raising, farming and dairying until 1895, and gained the reputation of raising the finest crops in the state. During this time he was interested in various enterprises. While to a certain ex- tent he was interested in mining for years, he did not engage in it extensively until 1897. He then became interested in property in the Cripple Creek district, having a lease on parts of Mary Mckinney No. 1 and No. 2, where they are now taking out a fine quality of ore and making regu- lar shipments. From the organization of the Union Ditch Company he was identified with it, serving as secretary during the building of the ditch, and for some time afterward. After years of success- ful farming he sold his land for a large sum to the oil interests there, and has since given his at- tention largely to the oversight of his varied moneyed interests.

The Civil war had scarcely begun when Mr. Tanner determined to enlist in the Confederate army. In July of 1861 he was appointed a mem- ber of General Mccullough's bodyguard in Mis- souri, but, owing to physical disability, he received his discharge. In the spring of 1862 he joined the Ninth Texas Infantry, with which he saw service for two years as lieutenant, participating in the engagements at Corinth, Miss., Shiloh,

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Murfreesboro and Chickamauga, Tenn., and many battles of less importance. In December, 1863, he was honorably discharged on account of disability. He had before been urged by his superior officers to resign, as his health rendered it extremely difficult for him to keep at the front, but such was his determination of character that he remained until too weak to longer continue in the army.

In politics Mr. Tanner has affiliated with the Democratic party, in which he has been active. For many years he served on the school board and he has also been county commissioner. Fra- ternally he is a Mason. February 9, 1865, he married Charlotte Hushaw, daughter of Peter and Mary (Boland) Hushaw. She died August 29, 1873, leaving three children: William E., who is engaged in the dairy business in Florence; Nellie R., wife of Edward Grant Jagger, of Flor- ence; and Mary Estelle, at home. August 6, 1874, Mr. Tanner was united in marriage with Mary Harris Smith, daughter of Rev. William M. Smith, of this county. Nine children were born of the union: Lizzie May, widow of W. F. Nix, who died in July, 1898; Maud Jennings (twin of Lizzie May), who is the wife of T. S. Williams, of Florence; Frank Harris, R. Waddy, Robert E., Paul Stephen, Munson A., Jennie and Clifford.

ILLIAM A. YOUNG, of Leadville, is at the head of a large wholesale and retail business, in the sale of hay, coal, lumber and flour. Coming to Colorado in 1882, he set- tled at Villa Grove, but two years later removed to Leadville, and shortly afterward, in 1885, opened the business which he has since con- ducted and constantly enlarged. He also has other interests in the city, the most important being his connection with the Roberts Lumber Company.

A son of David and Margaret (Anderson) Young, the subject of this article was born in Mercer County, Pa., in 1858. His father, also a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1816, devoted his active years to the trade of a carpenter and builder, but for some time has lived retired from active business cares. His wife was born in Pennsylvania and was orphaned by her father's death when she was a child; she is still living. Of her three sons, John A. is engaged in the real- estate business in Pittsburg, Pa .; and D. C. occupies the old home farm in Mercer County.

Reared on a farm and educated in public schools, our subject began life for himself at six- teen years of age. He worked at different oc- cupations as opportunities were offered, gladly doing any work that would enable him to gain a livelihood. From Pennsylvania he came to Colo- rado in 1882, and this state has since been his home. Starting out with nothing, he is now the owner of a good business and several houses in Leadville, which fact proves him to be a man of business ability.

Politically Mr. Young is a Republican. In 1888 he served as an alderman in Leadville. Since 1886 he has been connected with Chloride Lodge of Odd Fellows. His first wife was Kate Thompson, who died soon after their marriage. His present wife was Melissa O. Haughey, a na- tive of Iowa, and a sister of Mr. Young's busi- ness partner. They have two children living, William A., Jr., and Ruth Mande, and lost one son by death.

AMES FREMONT DIXON. On Grand River, about two miles from Rifle, may be seen one of the fine ranches of Garfield County. This place, which is the property of Mr. Dixon, has by him been brought under cul- tivation and improved with substantial buildings. Since he came to this county in 1883 he has suc- cessfully engaged in the stock business, and now owus a large number of horses and cattle. In order to dispose of beef advantageously, he recent- ly opened a meat market at Rifle, where he has since carried on a good trade.

The father of our subject, James Dixon, was born in Pennsylvania, and moved from there to Iowa, thence to Missouri, where he purchased a farm and engaged in agricultural pursuits. During the Civil war he served for three years as a member of the Eighteenth Iowa Infantry, going with his regiment to the front and taking part in a number of important battles. Upon the or- ganization of the Republican party, he became identified with it and afterward supported its principles. He was also active in the Grand Army of the Republic. By his marriage to Betsy E. Landers, a native of Indiana and daughter of a farmer of that state, he had seven sons and two daughters, namely: James F., who was born in Grundy County, Mo., August 27, 1861, and is the subject of this sketch; Thomas, a farmer in Kansas; John, deceased; Andrew, of this county; George, deceased; Lee, a farmer in Colorado;

J. A. JEANNOTTE, M. D.

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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

J. S., who is engaged in agricultural pursuits in Garfield County, this state; Mary, who is married and lives in Missouri; and Sarah E., of Colorado.

At eighteen years of age onr subject started out in the world for himself. He came to Colo- rado and for three years remained in Chaffee County. From there, in 1883, he came to Gar- field County, of which he was a pioneer stock- man. Without aid from any one, he has become the owner of a valuable ranch and a good busi- ness. He is untiring in his energy, painstaking in all of his work, and deservedly successful in his undertakings. His political views bring him into affiliation with the Republican party. Fra- ternally he is connected with Rifle Camp, Wood- men of the World. In 1892 he was united in marriage with Edna Parker, who was born in Colorado, daughter of William Parker, a native of Florida, but for some years a stockman of Colorado. Mr. and Mrs. Dixon are the parents of two children, William F. and Eva E.

ADHEMAR JEANNOTTE, M. D. This well-known physician of Leadville established his home in this city in 1895 and has since built up a practice that grows increasingly more lucrative and important. He occupies a fine suite of rooms at No. 501 Harrison avenue, where he has an office equipped with every facility known to the medical profession. In addition to his private practice he acts as chief surgeon for St. Vincent's Hospital, and also as local surgeon for the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad.

A son of Joseph and Zoe ( Bernard) Jeannotte, natives of Canada, the subject of this sketch was born in Montreal, Canada, in August, 1854. The family to which he belonged consisted of five sons and three daughters. Of these, Joseph died when a law student; Alphonse died when eighteen; Frank X. is a Roman Catholic priest and superior of Ste. Marie's College at Marieville, Canada; Malvina married Dr. T. A. Dufort, of Canada, but is now deceased; Anaclet, who was a post- office employe in Canada, died at thirty-eight years; and Pantaleon is a farmer by occupation.

Educated in Canada, onr subject graduated in classics from a Montreal institution and later com- pleted the medical course in a university in Que- bec. For five years he practiced his profession in Canada, after which he settled in Clyde, Kan., and from there came to Leadville in 1895. In 1877 he married Miss Marie Louise D'Avignon, of Montreal. Fraternally he is connected with

the Elks, Knights of Pythias and Ancient Order of United Workmen. Besides his practice he is interested in mining, holding stock in various mining companies of this locality.

C HARLES CAVENDER has made his home in Colorado since 1872, during which year he settled in Colorado Springs, and there read law. After his admission to the bar he be- gan practice in that city, but in 1878 came to Leadville and assisted in the organization of the town. While still in Colorado Springs he was admitted to practice before the supreme court of the state at Denver. He has carried on a general law practice in Leadville, where, closely identi- fied with the growth of the city and an unceasing contributor to its development, he has gained an enviable reputation, both as an attorney and as a citizen.

The Cavenders are a Pennsylvania Quaker family. Thomas S. Cavender, our subject's father, was born in Philadelphia, where for years he engaged in the practice of law, but finally re- moved to South Carolina and lived retired from active cares. He was a firm Republican and a man of strong convictions. In the Society of Friends he was a leading member. He died in 1896, when seventy-five years of age. His father, who was a native of Vermont, spent the most of his life in Philadelphia, where he was a lawyer and conveyancer.

The mother of our subject was Elizabeth, daughter of James Mott and a native of Philadel- phia. Her father, who was born at Nantucket, settled in Philadelphia, where he became a well- known wool merchant; he married Lucretia Cof- fin, who descended from the first settler of Nan- tucket and who, as Lucretia Mott, wielded a pow- erful influence in the days of anti-slavery agita- tion. Mrs. Elizabeth Cavender died in 1865, when forty years of age. Her only daughter, Mary, is the widow of W. J. Wilcox, and lives in Philadelphia; one of the two sons, Henry, died when a young man. The other son, our subject, was born in Philadelphia in 1855, and when a boy attended private schools and Swarthmore College, a Quaker institution. His mother and father both being quakers, he was reared under the benign influences of that society and has al- ways favored its teachings and doctrines. In 1872 he came to Colorado and this state has since been his home. A Republican in his political opin- ions, he always votes for the men and measures

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Portrait and biographical record of the state of Colorado, containing portraits and biographies of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 153

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1530

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1530